When Kingston Technology launched its own gaming-focused line of products, the highlight of the bunch was the HyperX Cloud. It was by far the most comfortable set of cans and boasted great sound quality to boot. For an encore, the Fountain Valley-based company created the similar-looking HyperX Cloud II.

On the surface, there may not appear to be much difference but there’s more tech lurking beneath and beyond the earcups of the HyperX Cloud II. They both feature 53mm drivers, which produce crisp, clean sound, and have the memory foam cushions, which deadened outside noise. But what separates the 2015 model from last year’s is that it now supports virtual 7.1 surround sound thanks to audio control box that connects to a USB port on the PC. Additionally, the HyperX Cloud II also has a single 3.5mm stereo jack. The previous model had an awkward dongle that converted separate audio and microphone channels into one plug.Continue Reading →

When NetherRealm Studios released Mortal Kombat 9 in 2011, one of the biggest surprises for the developer was the popularity of the story mode. For a genre that’s built on tense head-to-head matches, the community’s embrace of an element that has always been an afterthought — well at least for most titles — was a revelation.

“The story mode has been a huge, huge mode for us,” said Brian Goodman, marketing games manager. “We see a lot more people coming into the genre.”

Taking advantage of this, NetherRealm is expanding the menu of single-player options in its sequel Mortal Kombat X. The team is moving beyond playing through a compelling narrative that takes place 25 years after the reboot and the group is broadening the solo experience through Living Towers and a Faction WarContinue Reading →

With the Battlefield Hardline beta in full swing, players can check out the fruits of their fun labors. They’ll notice the changes made thanks to the input from last year’s demo. Visceral Games tweaked a bevy of features and revealed a few others. I had a chance to check it out a little early, and there was improvement in the cops and robbers shooter. The hardest part for me was adjusting to the new rule sets.Continue Reading →

When the Super Bowl ends, that doesn’t necessarily mean football is over. Pigskin fans can get an extra helping of play after the Big Game thanks to an unconventional collaboration between SFJAZZ and Major League Gaming competitors. Mr. Finesse and Panoramic, two of the top Madden NFL 15 players in the nation, will face off in a match-up that will have all the fixings. The game will have its own announcers as Daniel Rovin and T. Lew call the play-by-play of a matchup that pits the Oakland Raiders against the San Francisco 49ers. But the interesting element is that Eric Harland’s Voyager band will be providing the music for the game. Although the band will play the national anthem, their performance won’t stop there. The crew will provide ambient music to go along with the gameplay and commentary. The production even includes a halftime show, which will go on for 20 minutes, which will most likely be shorter than the Katy Perry extravaganza in Arizona. After that, the band will finish off the rest of the game with a grand sendoff. Tickets are $25 to $45 for the Feb. 1 show at SFJAZZ Center’s Miner Auditorium.
Image courtesy of SFJAZZ

Do yourself a favor and start playing the Witcher series from the beginning. Begin with the original released in 2007 and move on to the sequel The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings that hit shelves in 2011. You’ll see a series that’s taken evolutionary leaps with each entry. You’ll also be thrown into the franchise’s fascinating lore. Now entering a new chapter with The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, CD Projekt Red has further refined the formula and polished the high-fantasy saga, makings its gameplay even more accessible to players.

After more than three hours of hands-on time, the best way to describe The Witcher 3 for those unfamiliar the series is this: Imagine Batman but he is a white-haired, scar-covered monster hunter named Geralt of Rivia. Instead of technology and money giving him an edge over evil-doers, his gift of magic and intelligence allows him to overcome any challenge. Throw this protagonist in a mostly open world and you get the idea.Continue Reading →

To say that Nvidia had a stellar 2014 would be an understatement. The tech company known for its bleeding-edge graphics cards launched a Shield tablet, introduced a new line of GPUs based on its Maxwell architecture and ushered in a proprietary technology called G-Sync in new monitors. So what does the Santa Clara-based company do for an encore?

This month, the company is launching the GTX 960, the affordable line of its newest chipset. Whereas the GTX 970 and GTX 980 cater to enthusiasts who can afford dropping $600 on a GPU, the GTX 960 is geared toward budget-savvy gamers who want performance comparable to the top-tier models without selling a kidney.

What’s unexpected about this generation of Nvidia graphics cards is that though they have become more powerful, they haven’t become electricity guzzlers that sound like jet engines. The company has managed to squeeze more efficiency out of its hardware making cards that don’t require a huge power source unit and loud fans. The GTX 960 follows the same path, requiring less energy than its predecessor the GTX 660 while also making less noise. It’s whisper quiet, something that’s not a huge issue for me, but can be a major factor for gamers who want a silent rig.Continue Reading →

If you have been steering clear of DmC: Devil May Cry, maybe now is the time to check it out. The reboot to the venerable action franchise was released on Xbox 360, PC and PlayStation 3 in 2013 to decent reviews. Fast-forward a few years and a console generation later and Capcom has decide to bring it to the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One albeit via a Definitive Edition.

Ported over by the team at QLOC in Poland, the update boasts features that you would expect from a reissue. On both systems, the title runs at 1080p with 60 frames per second. The sound and art are higher fidelity. The Definitive Edition includes all the downloadable content including costumes, Vergil’s Downfall and Bloody Palace. For hard-core fans who already played it, there are some new additions that could make the title a must-buy.

The first two reasons are the introduction of a Hardcore and Turbo modes. The Hardcore mode makes the game play more like previous titles in the series. Devil Trigger won’t throw enemies in the air. The parrying and evade windows are smaller. The style system has also been rebalanced to make attaining an S rank more difficult. Meanwhile, the Turbo mode increases the gameplay speed by 20 percent.

For fans who want a challenge, players can add more levels of difficulty. For example, one lets players only damage enemies if they reach an S-level style combo rank. In the Gods Must Die mode, enemies have their own Devil Trigger mode.

Lastly, players will be able to use Vergil in the Bloody Palace mode. Playing with a different move set and enemies is eye-opening as you go through wave upon wave of foes from the main campaign and Vergil’s Downfall. It’s an overall solid package that would be perfect for those who have never played this reboot.

DmC: Definitive Edition is scheduled for release on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on March 10.

I’ve seen The Rock throw down his People’s Elbow dozens of times but not like this. Now literally made of stone, he punishes a foe with a smattering of sparks. In another match, Roman Reigns, dressed as centurion, brutalize a wrestler smashing him into the ground and blowing him up with grenades.

It’s exaggerated, it’s over the top, it also happens to be a new collaboration between World Wrestling Entertainment and NetherRealm Studios, the team behind the new Mortal Kombat efforts. WWE Immortals is a fighting game for iOS and Android devices that offers a new take on superstars and divas. Think of it as a Mortal Kombat take on wrestling with fighters brawling in graveyards and other arenas, performing moves that would otherwise leave a bloody mess.

Producer Fuzzy Gerdes assured me that there’s an explanation for two version of Big Show, one as a lumberjack and the other as a Warrior, and Triple H, one as a viking warrior and the other as a CEO. It deals with a magical lantern that opens the door to multiple universes. The mobile game will be free to play and launch with with 26 character cards that include variants of 14 wrestlers. Similar to Marvel: Contest of Champions, the fighting game relies on taps and swipes that translate punches and kicks in battle. Building a combo can lead to a minigame finisher.Continue Reading →

I’ve played through plenty of Pokemongames, but I’ve never actually finished Ruby/Sapphire. Yes, I know. It’s blasphemous. Hang me upside down by my toes right this very minute. But going into Pokemon Alpha Sapphire as a blank slate has its advantages. Most things are fresh including the costume contests and the super secret bases. But at the same time, having played Pokemon X and Y, there’s some familiarity to the art style that took the series from pixels to polygons.

From the 12 or so hours I explored, Pokemon Alpha Sapphire is more polished than the previous iteration. Using Ruby/Sapphire as a template in this remake, Game Freak integrates the pocket monsters in the world, making the Hoenn region feel more alive. While walking around, they can see a kaleidoscope of beautiflies flutter by. Machokes help the player’s family move in. It just feels more like a unified place where players are a part of the environment instead of separated from it (with the only chance to interact animals being combat).

In terms of gampelay, Alpha Sapphire keeps most of the improvements from Pokemon X and Y while recycling some of the art and features. Taking advantage of the Nintendo 3DS technology, it’s easier than ever to trade Pokemon via the Player Search System, play with them through the Pokemon Amie and improve them through the Super Training. Where the game improves is in the trio of Nav systems. The AreaNav is a simple map telling fans where you are. The BuzzNav acts as a Pokemon channel of sorts with pocket creature news and special reports that update the player exploits. The DexNav is biggest improvement when it comes to collecting Pokemon in years. It tells players the type of Pokemon in an area and if they’ve caught them all. These are the type of quality-of-life improvements that the franchise should strive for.

Lastly, transferring Pokemon from older games is easier than ever with the Pokemon Bank. It’s a recent app for the Nintendo 3DS and allows players to store their monsters in the cloud. Any creature dating back to Pokemon White and Pokemon Black can be moved to the cloud and from there added to Pokemon Alpha Ruby. Players have already downloaded it need to update. The app costs $4.99 for a year of service, but it’s well worth it and will save players hours, maybe even days of time, filling out the Pokedex. Now, players can fill the national registry.

This has made my Pokemon adventure through the Hoenn region one of the most stress-free in years.

XCOM: Enemy Unknown made a successful transition to iOS device, offering a console experience on hand-held devices. Now, 2K Games is offering an update with XCOM: Enemy Within, the follow-up expansion. Priced at $12.99, the game offers more content than the previous version of the game with new maps, new troop upgrades (cybernetic and gene modification) and weapons. It’s a more well-rounded experience though players won’t see much of a graphical boost from the previous iOS iteration. On the bright side, there is multiplayer in this edition (except for the Amazon devices).

Unfortunately, those who picked up Enemy Unknown will have to buy the same game all over again. Enemy Within won’t be a free update. The new game also will replace the older one on Apple’s App Store. I had a chance to play the title, and it translates well. It seems like the perfect game to test out on an iPhone 6 Plus. I’m sure the title will benefit from the extra screen real estate. Although it’s available for iOS devices, 2K Games recommends Enemy Within for iPad 3 and above, iPad Mini 2 and iPhone 5 and above.